Marshmallows

I did it!! I finally made marshmallows all on my own. I have been wanting to do this for years... and have now finally gotten up the courage to try it. I used the recipe here because it had step-by-step directions, making me feel much more prepared about the whole thing. I'm not am not a candy maker. You can ask my husband. I fail more often than I succeed when cooking sugar in a pot, which is exactly why I put 2 things on my list of 30 that involved doing just that. The easier one is now done. Hopefully that'll help me feel more secure when trying the next one!

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup Confectioner's Sugar1 envelope unflavored gelatin1/3 cup water2/3 cup granulated sugar1/2 cup light corn syrupPinch of salt1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, sift together the cornstarch and Confectioner's sugar.

Lightly grease an 8"x8" baking dish.  Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch/sugar mixture into the baking dish, tilting it this way and that to cover the bottom and sides.  Leave the remaining cornstarch/sugar mixture in the baking dish.

In a small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin into the water, and let soak for 5 minutes.  Add the granulated sugar to the gelatin, stirring occasionally over medium low heat until the gelatin and the sugar dissolve completely.

Using a standing mixer, add to the bowl the gelatin mixture, corn syrup, salt, and vanilla, and beat on high speed for 15 minutes, until peaks form.

Spread the marshmallow mixture into your prepared pan (this is the sticky, sticky, sticky part, because I used my fingers to move the mixture in the pan).  Smooth the top as best as you can.  Now just let the mixture sit for 2 hours.

Using a wet knife, slide the knife around the edges to loosen, then cut into quarters.

Sprinkle the remaining cornstarch/sugar mixture onto a large baking sheet.  Put the marshmallow quarters, top side down onto the baking sheet.  Cut each quarter into nine pieces, then roll each of those pieces into the cornstarch/sugar mixture, making sure to cover all sides.  Place the marshmallows on a cake rack, then cover it all with paper towels to dry overnight (the surface of the marshmallows will be slightly dry at that time).  I also put a paper towel under the cake rack to catch any of the cornstarch/sugar mixture.

Store the marshmallows in an airtight container.  They'll keep for up to a month.....if they last that long!!!

Makes 36 marshmallows